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Suppliers report demand for equipment and software is on the rise as the window and door market continues to improve

Spurred by an increase in window and door sales, manufacturers are showing increased willingness to invest in production operations. Orders for new equipment and systems are up, and suppliers expect greater demand going forward.
“There is pent-up demand in nearly every area of the country and most every segment of the market,” says Morgan Donohue of Erdman Automation Corp., the...more »

A recent survey from the National Association of Home Builders found that one of the top factors home buyers look for in a home is energy efficiency. While that might not be a surprise to those of us in the remodeling industry, it certainly reinforces what our customers have been telling us for the past 20 years.
With the subject of climate change and green living top of mind, and as some states...more »

In this issue, we focus on entry doors, and I urge everyone to read our main feature article, "Entry Doors See Sales Resurgence," on page XX. It offers a number of good insights into the door market, of course, but what I like about it is the enthusiasm manufacturers express across the board.
Door manufacturers are reporting double-digit growth, thanks in no small part to...more »

It seems as though cloud-based computing is picking up steam in the manufacturing sector. "The best manufacturers I’ve visited this year all share a common attribute," writes Louis Columbus, a Forbes contributor in a recent column. "They are obsessed with making themselves as easy as possible to work with from a supply chain, distribution and services standpoint....more »

My first foray into the window and door business was in early 1984. Many things have changed in the sales arena since then, except for one: the challenge of converting a lead into a sale.
The first step in the sales process is to find a prospect interested in your products and to set up a sales appointment. With the appointment comes the challenge of converting the homeowner's...more »

The housing market continues to recover, but not at the rate many of us would like to see. Economists attribute sluggish growth levels to rising material costs and a lack of skilled labor, among other reasons.
Builders around the country are pointing to such problems, particularly in some of the hotter new home markets. It's been a long time, however, since I heard such complaints in the window...more »

I just love this list of 10 surprising assertions from entrepreneurs, published recently as a column on Forbes.com. Even though the columnist warned me that a statement or two might come as a surprise, I still managed a couple of mental “no way”s and “really?”s as I made my way through it.
Of particular note were some against-the-grain assertions, including that business...more »

Let me start off by saying I do not intend to have a conversation about gun control legislation. However, it’s pretty difficult to ignore the unfortunate series of events our country has experienced at the hands of misguided gunmen in the last several months—including an incident just yesterday at a Texas college.
What I am interested to know is whether your workplace has security...more »

Less than five minutes’ drive from my home, I have access to a series of trails that wind through the woods and around the shores of a reservoir. My wife and I regularly go and hike a loop we especially like; with some good elevation changes, it’s a nice workout in a serene setting. We rarely encounter anyone else.
Sometimes I go alone, usually when I need some time to think about...more »

New housing starts are expected to be up nearly 20 percent in 2013, and it's anticipated remodeling and replacement will see double-digit growth rates in the first and second quarter. Ten years ago, that would have made window and door executives giddy about the year ahead.
I’m not looking for giddy now. The past six years have been rough on most of our businesses. Dysfunction in Washington...more »